Newsletter of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate Advent 2014 “Blessed Josaphata” Welcome to the USA On September 26th at 7:00 am, people waiting for their loved ones at JFK airport, thought that Pope Francis was coming, as a bus load of Sisters Servants, Lay Associates and friends emerged into the wait- ing area of International flights. The anticipated guest was an icon of our beloved foundress, Blessed Josaphata Hordashevska, being es- SSMI’s, Lay Associates and friends waiting at JFK corted by Sr. Maria Zelia Snak from our Province of St. Michael the Archangel in Brazil. There was a slight delay of Sr. Maria Zelia coming out with Blessed Josaphata as the pilot and stewardess wanted to venerate the icon! This special traveling icon of our Foundress, imbedded with a first class relic, was commissioned by our General Superior, Sr. Theresa Slota, in celebration of the upcoming 125th Anniversary in 2017, of the founding of the Congregation. The icon will be visiting every country in which the Sisters Servants are missioned. Blessed Josaphata was beatified by (St.) John Paul II in 2001, during his visit to Ukraine. At least one miracle has been attributed through her intercession. The traveling icon will be in the United States until January 15, 2015, at which time she will be escort- ed to our Christ the King Province in Canada. The Sisters Servants will be traveling with the icon to some of our parishes in the Archeparchy of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Eparchies of Parma, Stamford, and Passaic. We invite you to come and honor this holy wom- an of the 20th Century. Learn about her life, pray for her intercession and pray for her canonization soon! Listed below is the schedule for visitations in the U. S. Oct. 19 - Lindenhurst, NJ Nov. 1-2 - Syracuse, NY Nov. 8-23 - South Anthracite area - Dates have already been set up for parishes in St. Clair, Olyphant, Harrisburg, Shenandoah, Shamokin, Centralia, Mt. Carmel, Berwick, Frackville, Edwardsville and Minersville Sr. Natalya talks about Blessed Josaphata to Nov. 30 Mahwah, NJ Dec. 7 Spring Valley, NY the children of St. John the Baptist parish Dec. 13 -14 Ansonia, CT Dec. 20 –21 Stamford, CT in Syracuse, NY Jan. 4 Yonkers, NY Jan. 9-14 Passaic, NJ Page 2 Journeying with Josaphata Advent 2014 Issue St. Joseph’s … Now is the Moment- Sr. Michele, SSMI Many of you, like myself, have no memory of the year 1941; others may have very vague memories, too long ago to remember! It was the year when… Franklin D. Roosevelt was President of the US. and Pope Pius XII was the ruling pontiff. Cheerios cereal was introduced by General Mills and the first jeep vehi- cle was invented. Pearl Harbor was bombed and it was World War II – just to highlight a few events from then. The Sisters Servants (already had purchased portions of land in Sloatsburg) reno- vated the Hamilton Morgan stables into what is now St. Joseph’s Adult Care Home. For seventy-three years, the home has welcomed elderly men and women, elderly priests and sisters under their care. The vision and spirit of the first Sister Servant, Josaphata Hordashevska, knew what the needs of her people were, whether it be in Ukraine or throughout the world where her sisters lived. That “flame” has burned throughout the years in every sister who has ministered to the elderly in St. Joseph’s, who have strived to be the strength and hope of tomorrow. The challenges of yesterday are no different than today. The care for our elderly is crucial and will always be a priority. Unfortunately, the means are not always available to all. We have seen elderly living longer and with the hope of living on their own. Some have that luxury, while others do not. We, Sisters Servants, with much prayer, research and deliberation are going forward to meet the needs of the infirmed and elderly in our society. We are honored and humbled to share this joy with you… you who one day may truly benefit from this venture! Our endeavor is two-fold. One, we have begun the process of enhancing our NY state license to Assisted Living. Designated beds will be for the purpose of allowing the elderly as they age and are more infirmed to remain in our care – to move gracefully from one level of care to another in their same environment where they have grown to call home. Our second endeavor, I believe more challenging, is to build a wing, an addition to the existing building with additional rooms making it a 50 bed capacity. The addition will allow a private bath in each room, sitting parlor for residents’ guests, office, storage areas, mini kitchen and laundry for the section, ample parking and garden area. An added treat will be a whirlpool room for those special times of comfort. Clark Patterson Lee, Architects from New Windsor, NY have been our choice to meet this estimated 5 mil- lion dollar project. By the grace of God and your help, we will go forward committing ourselves to not only the present but to the future generations of elderly who come under our care. Approximately 125 thousand dollars has already been raised. Our next issue will provide you, our readers, with drawings and ways that you may contribute to this pro- ject, as the new wing will have a memorial wall of donors. Until then… join us in prayer, buy that winning lottery ticket! Advent 2014 Issue Journeying with Josaphata Page 3 Year of Consecrated Life - 2015 The Year of Consecrated Life (YCL) declared by Pope Francis, will begin on November 30, 2014 and end February 2, 2016. The theme for this special year is “Wake Up The World!” One of the many rea- sons for designating this year is to help people learn about the consecrated life of women and men religious. Various activities and events will be held throughout the year across the country, and the Sisters Servants will also be conducting some of these activ- ities. A few of the suggested events are: February 8, 2015 - Religious Open House This will include tours, open hous- es, receptions, family activities and presentations on the history of religious communities at con- vents, abbeys and monasteries. Summer 2015 - Day of Mission and Service with Religious Events will include joining religious in their ministries or special service projects, such as assisting the elderly, ministering to the poor or related ser- vices. Our St. Joseph Adult Care Home and St. Mary’s Spiritual and Educational Center in Sloatsburg are first-hand examples of places for service during that time. September 13, 2015 - Day of Prayer with Religious Events will include vespers, holy hours or other ser- vices in convents, monasteries, parishes and churches. Although the above events seem far away, we invite you to begin on November 30th and pray each day, individually or as a family, the following prayer for the Year of Consecrated Life: O God, throughout the ages you have called women and men to pursue lives of perfect charity through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. During this Year of Consecrated Life, we give you thanks for these courageous witnesses of Faith and models of inspiration Their pursuit of holy lives teaches us to make a more perfect offering of ourselves to you. Continue to enrich your Church by calling forth sons and daughters who, having found the pearl of great price, treasure the Kingdom of Heaven above all things. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Please mark your calendars, setting aside these dates, and keep watch for events that the Sisters Servants or other communities will be having to commemorate this special year. Turula Family Fund , Inc. - The Sisters Servants are grateful to the Turula Family, as we have been beneficiaries of their generosity since the year 2000. The Board of Directors have granted us annual dona- tions for various projects and needs. This year, we were awarded $9,000 to use towards the repair of the reservoirs which supply water on the property. The Sisters are grateful to and pray daily for all those who support us in various ways. Service in Sloatsburg - Scout member Brandon Nebiker organized a community service project for his Eagle Scout award, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program. Brandon has been in scouting since he was in first grade. Brandon chose to do his community project for the Sisters Servants in Sloatsburg because he was familiar with our community. Brandon’s extensive project included painting and installing a large aluminum cross at one of the intersections to our SSMI cemetery. Brandon also refurbished and weatherized a wooden crucifix at another intersec- tion of Cemetery Road. During the course of several weekends, Brandon and his troop members dug post holes, installed posts, planted a flower garden and installed the crucifix and cross. The vol- unteer project was a learning experience for Brandon and something which enhanced the ambiance of our property. If you or your organization would like to volunteer your services to the Sisters Servants at their Motherhouse in Sloatsburg, NY, please contact Sr. Kathleen at the information listed at the bottom of the page. Blessed Josaphata Shrine Your Contributions You still have a chance to be part Support the work of the of this legacy by purchasing a Sisters Servants brick or two on the walkway of our Blessed We need your help in continuing to serve “where the need is the greatest,” as our Josaphata Shrine.